Mayors Council want road pricing and tolls to pay for TransLink expansion

A shortfall of $30 million is projected in funding that would otherwise be added to TransLink property taxes starting in 2013.

The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation wants the provincial government to authorize a road pricing and tolls to bridges, major roads and highways to fund future transit expansion in the region.

A shortfall of $30 million is projected in funding that would otherwise be added to TransLink property taxes starting in 2013. The property tax increase would charge the average Metro house an extra $23 to pay for Translink. The extra $30 million mayors are trying to raise is part of a $70-million increase in TransLink spending approved by the mayors last year to fund both the construction of the Evergreen Line to Coquitlam as well as other transit upgrades. The other $40 million is due from a tax hike on gas starting April 1.